Chereads / Fractured Wings / Chapter 38 - Chapter 38

Chapter 38 - Chapter 38

Game Finale: Objective, survive All Might. 

In this mode of the game, a fake All Might is dropped into Hosu City with the programs to kill all players. In any scene within the city, he will always strike the players with the highest point total first and work his way down. 

This game mode will only be active for One hour.

Players points are frozen in this time and cannot be spent. All transactions are disabled.

The replica is of course designed to mimic the real hero's strength, speed and his experience. 

The clock is ticking.

Player must do their best to survive! 

____

In a chamber deep beneath the earth, All For One, his pale withered face covered by a mask, tilted his head slightly to the monitor in the room. He was a little dumbstruck when he seen the announcement of the final game. 

All Might. A paragon of power, the only foe he has had to best him in a battle of pure unfiltered power. And that was only slightly. There weren't many people in that game, alive or dead, that would even be able to take a full powered hit from him and come out alive. 

Across the room, Dr. Kyudai Garaki adjusted his glasses, the feint glow of the monitor reflecting off his bald head. 

"Daigo Kiyoshi," the doctor muttered, there was a slight tinge of disdain in his voice. "This child has gone far beyond our expectations. To add this of all things... This is reckless." The doctor trailed, shaking his head. 

All For One's voice, smooth yet dripping with malice, broke through the hum. "It is... unsavory. Turning the symbol of peace into a butcher is poetic in a way, but this will thin the herd more than I'd prefer." 

Garaki nodded empathetically. "Precisely. Tomura has surprisingly made new allies to add to the league, their powers are of interest too. They're needed to be kept intact. This game's final act is nothing short of a massacre in the making. The odds of survival for most players are... negligible." 

A small chuckle rumbled from All For One. "And yet, isn't it amusing? The great Daigo Kiyoshi created his own downfall by overplaying his hand. A majority of the players will die, that may also include my dear apprentice." 

"And you allow it?" The doctor asked, his voice tinged with frustration. 

"I allow it because I am a little idealistic when it comes to Tomura. His growth and drive will not let him die here. Those who survive this crucible will be sharpened into weapons of unparalleled strength." His tone darkened. 

Garaki shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the screen as Nagant was who All Might chose to attack first. A smash of his was narrowly avoided and was enough to level an entire block. Since killing Nine, her point totalled at: 334. 

"Her odds?" the doctor asked. 

All For One chuckled again, low and sinister. "Oh, she's resourceful and has a powerful ally. But even so, the replica will likely break her. As for Tomura, his new... allies may prove him useful. Or they will crumble and die in front of him, his hate will then grow. Either outcome serves my purpose." 

____

The announcement crackled through the air, unmistakeably urgent. Midoriya's head snapped up, his heart pounding as the words echoed his mind: Survive All Might. His throat tightened as he glanced at his group. 

Todoroki's mismatched eyes hid a glint of worry. Tokoyami's shadow flickered anxiously, mirroring the tension in the air. Yayoyorozu, ever so composed, gripped the hilt of her makeshift weapon tighter. Uraraka went pale, the two class B girls exchanged grim looks with each other, while their male counterparts clenched their fists and widening their eyes in fear. 

Fat Gum's presence loomed over them, his presence was a grounding force. 

They had just been planning their next move, ready to track down Tomura Shigaraki to collect the artifact off of him and find a way out of the game. But this changed everything. All they had to do was survive All Might for an hour. 

That is most certainly a worse situation than finding artifacts. A fake All Might, a replica. Midoriya thought that maybe it was weaker, but with everything they were all finding out about Daigo Kiyoshi's quirk, he can create copies with the more data he collects of things and even people. 

'So now he can create copies of people.' That told Midoriya that he must have had contact with the number 1 hero. 'Did they arrest him?' 

No. He doubted that Daigo would have been able to do this if he was caught by All Might or other heroes. 

Midoriya's mind raced. The tremors in the ground reached them before they even felt the gust of winds that came after. The feint, rhythmic thudding sent shivers up his spine. All Might's punches. Each impact reverberated through the city like a heartbeat of destruction. 

"We need to move," Fat Gum said, his voice low but firm. "If that thing's as strong as the real All Might, we can't afford to be anywhere near it." 

"Move, where?" Midoriya asked coldly. His voice was sharper than intended, and it caught the group off guard. "We don't even know who it's after yet." 

"It would be after Lady Nagant, she's at the top now. And that doesn't matter." Fat Gum said with a tone of authority. "What matters is keeping you kids safe. Stay behind me—" 

"Stop treating us like children." Midoriya's words cut through the air like a knife. His green eyes burned, his usual warmth replaced by a chilling resolve and his tone hardened and stilled everyone else listening. "Children don't survive what we've been through these last two weeks. Children don't fight villains and watch people die." 

Fat Gum hesitated, his mouth opening and closing as if to protest, but he couldn't find the words. 

"We're not kids anymore." Midoriya continued, his tone icy. "If we don't act, people will die. Nagant, even though she is labelled a villain now, she was a hero. And if she dies, then how many are next before he eventually reaches us." 

All of them had points on the lower end of the table, but that didn't matter. All Might was fast enough to leap from one end of the city to the other, with the power to kill almost everyone with one or two solid hits along the way. 

Todoroki stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "Midoriya's right. We need a plan." 

Midoriya nodded, his mind already forming strategies. But before he could speak, the air around them shifted. A deafening whoosh roared past, sending dust and debris spiralling. They barely had time to react before a gust of wind threw them off their feet. 

Mid-air, Midoriya's panicking spewed out. "We were that... close?" 

All Might landed with a thunderous stomp as his two feet crashed into the ground. 

The replica was perfect. Every detail, from the golden locks of hair to the confident smile, was an exact mimicry of the real thing. But there was no warmth in his eyes, only cold, calculated purpose. 

"Scatter!" Fat Gum shouted, but it was too late. A punch into the open air from All Might sent a shockwave ripping through the air, and they were all lifted off the ground. 

Midoriya's heart leaped into his throat as he felt himself rise. He braced himself for impact, but instead, he landed gently atop a floating paper plane. He looked around to see the others similarly carried, the planes splitting them apart. His eyes darted to the source: Kobe Arakawa. 

"Kobe," Midoriya muttered. He stared at the determined expression. Todoroki's voice reached him. 

"That's him right?" Todoroki asked. "The one who helped us fight Stain." 

He nodded and he seen Kendo's eyes take on a darker look again, like it had only a couple days before when speaking on Kobe. He ignored it again, it was an unnecessary thought to ponder on now. 

Midoriya's plane dipped suddenly, giving him a clear view of the battlefield. Lady Nagant was below, her rifle trained on All Might. Kobe floated around her, his hands weaving through the air as more planes formed, carrying civilians away from the area and from under the rubble and debris. 

Midoriya didn't hesitate. He jumped from his plane, landing hard on the ground and charging toward All Might. His mind screamed at him to stop, to think, but he couldn't. He thought he was ready for this. 

But how could he. 

As soon as he seen the copy in front of him, his mind shattered. It looked like All Might, his power was like his mentor's, and even his smile. 

But it wasn't. It was wrong. All so wrong, so perverse and looking at the sick and twisted form in front of him that walked around like his teacher,

.

.

.

...It sickened him to his core. 

'I have to stop it.' 

"Izuku wait!" Uraraka's voice called out, but it was drowned by the roar of wind as All Might's fist missed Nagant who conveniently slipped on a piece of paper. 

But as she twisted out of the way again another hit was being geared in her direction. 

'Stop It!' Midoriya replicated the movement as he got in the air. 

'Detroit....' He was right above the fake mentor now, using much more than just 5% of his power. '...SMASH!'

He swung down feeling the force in his bone, but his arm wasn't broken, not yet. 

His fist didn't connect, All Might moved out of the way in the blink of an eye and was standing straight with his fists clenched and that same smile on his face. 

Midoriya raised his hands up to block, but all he received was a gust of wind as All Might rushed past him and finally got a hit off at Nagant, one that was blocked by a wall of paper. But it wasn't enough, the punch connected and Nagant went flying through two skyscrapers behind her, not dead but not getting back up for a while. 

Next he went for... Kobe. 

Midoriya seen Kobe duck and worm away from All Might's initial two strikes using his quirk in a way he had never seen before like turning into a paper thing version of himself and getting his creations to drag him out of the way. 

Midoriya hopped back into action, he threw another punch at the fake All Might, but he missed again, so he continued. But he noticed something. 

The fake All Might wouldn't attack him back. He dodged and evaded all of Midoriya's attacks and never struck back. 

'Why?' 

His mind was going through the reasons why it could be so. Does this replica not recognize his power? No, that couldn't be it. He only focuses on one at a time... points.

The game that Daigo set made it so that the fake All Might would attack players from highest to lowest level of points. 

Nagant isn't dead though, then maybe it was a restriction. Midoriya wondered if Daigo meant for that to be an outcome. 

But from the way he saw it, it went like this. The fake All Might can't attack someone with a lower amount of points in an area if he hasn't at least attacked someone with a higher amount. And if someone with a lower level of points were to get in the way, then his actions would stop and work solely on evading and dodging until he spots another chance to leap into action. 

'All right. I can work with that.' 

"Izuku!" He heard Uraraka's scream and his head snapped up, quick enough only to raise his fist and soften the blow of a hit from the symbol of peace. The strongest man in the world was now gunning to kill him. 

Kobe? 

Out of the corner of his eye, Midoriya could see that he was knocked out on the ground, maybe dead since there was a pool of blood forming beneath him. 

'Shit!' 

Midoriya had no time to curse— 

Another hit, in his stomach, he could feel something break, just like he did to Stain. 

He couldn't even think of a way to win. All Midoriya could do, was wallow in grief. 

'You're not All Might!'... 'All Might wouldn't do this!'.... 'I don't want to die,' ... 'I'm scared... again,'.... 'STOP!' 

His left arm was out it's socket, he doesn't know how many ribs All Might... No!... the fake All Might broke. His ears were ringing and he couldn't even hear his friends screaming for him. 

'Run,' he wanted to tell them. But Midoriya felt broken. It hurt him to try and layer words on his vocals. And as he tried to open his mouth. 

A earth shattering punch smacked him in the face spraying blood from a busted lip and broken nose on the ground beneath him. 

He stumbled to the ground on his broken arm but couldn't even feel the pain. 

'Everything hurts...' He thought to himself as his consciousness faded to black. 

_____

My head throbbed. It wasn't just a dull ache; It was sharp, relentless, like someone pounding a drum inside my skull. 

Instinctively, my hand reached up, brushing against something wet and sticky. I didn't need to look to know what it was. Blood. The metallic tang in the air confirmed it, it's sharpness making my stomach churn. 

But this smell, it was overwhelming, far too potent. I grimaced, a bitter thought cutting through the haze of pain: How much blood did I lose? 

Pushing past the discomfort, I forced myself upright. The scene before me was... horrific. My chest tightened as I took in the carnage around me, even as the faint tremors in the ground and the booms in the air reminded me why. 

All Might. 

He wasn't just fighting. He was tearing through everything in his path, or had done so. And he wasn't holding back. 

Bodies surrounded me, blood pooling, lifeless limbs splayed in grotesque angles. It wasn't just the random carnage of a battlefield, there was precision in the devastation. They were only villains. 

Some I recognized. Tengai's crushed body lay amidst the wreckage, his barriers clearly no match for this force. Yu Hojo, Shin Nemoto... their lifeless forms joined the bloodied sea. And there, amidst the gore, was remnants of a skull I was almost certain belonged to Rappa. 

My stomach twisted, not just at the sight, but the memory. Last time I saw them, I learned that after I killed Overhaul, Miyu Ogawa had put them under her control and disappeared. Back when I was with Kendo and her group. Now they were scattered like broken dolls, their lives snuffed out with chilling, robotic effort. 

Not all of them were dead, though. Some were clinging to life, their bodies heaving weakly, but the sheer scale of destruction, it was monstrous. 

Of course it was. 

This was All Might. Fake or not, it was All Might. The endgame. 

I shouldn't even be here, standing in his wake. None of us should. 

"How long do we have left...?" I muttered to no one, my voice hoarse, barely audible over the distant roars. 

The Bug emerged, it's small, mechanical frame buzzing to life. Numbers flickered across it's display. 

:27 minutes. 

Too long. Far, far too long. 

In the distance, I caught sight of All Might again, locked in combat with two enormous figures. One of them; towering and broad, was unmistakeably Rikiya Katsukame. His monstrous frame, rivaled All Might's own, but it was clear who held the upper hand. The other figure was Mimic, using an entire apartment complex as his cover. His shifting form attempting to ensnare All Might. 

And riding on Rikiya's back, her laughter cutting through the chaos, was Miyu Ogawa. She was still in control. And even while facing All Might, she was calm... and crazy. 

I tore my gaze away from them, forcing my legs to move. The carnage around me was suffocating, the coppery stench of blood clinging to the air. I folded a piece of paper to act as a cloth to cover my nose. 

Stepping carefully over the bodies, I searched for those I knew personally and I was sure were alive. 

Midoriya... and Nagant. 

Midoriya was closest, his chest rising and falling faintly. His face was pale and bloody, smeared with dirt, but he was alive. I crouched down, hoisting him over my shoulder with a grunt. 

Nagant wasn't far, but she looked worse. Her body was twisted at an awkward angle, her breathing shallow. The blow All Might dealt her... it was a miracle that she was still alive. 

"Damn it," I hissed under my breath, panic seeping into my voice. 

Nagant stirred awake as I approached, her eyes fluttering open. She wasn't fully conscious, but it was enough. Enough to remind me of the cold reality: She had the most points in this area. Much more than anyone else, I was next with 72. 

If I was right, and I prayed I wasn't right, then All Might wouldn't waste his time with the other players. He'd come straight for her. 

As if on cue, a deafening burst of air tore through the battlefield. I looked up, dread pooling in my stomach. 

All Might. 

He'd broken free from Rikiya and Mimic, his figure streaking through the sky like a missile. And he was headed straight for us. 

"Shit." I cursed, scrambling to pull Nagant to her feet. 

The air vibrated with the force of his approach, each step bringing him closer. 

Unstoppable and unrelenting. This wasn't a hero. This was a calamity in human form. And we were directly in it's path.